


A family matter

by Momo33421



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Kidnapped, M/M, Parentlock, kind of sad, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-08 20:59:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4320486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Momo33421/pseuds/Momo33421
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock and John have not heard from Moriarty in five years. They have adopted John and Mary's child after blocking her out of thier lives and have gotten married. But everything changes one fateful Tuesday morning.......</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My friend asked me to write this and has given me some wonderful ideas for this, so this is for her! Enjoy

Five years. Five years since John had blocked Mary out of his life and won custody of their child, Emilie. Five years since Sherlock had asked John to marry him and had adopted Emilie. The wedding had been small, with only very close friends. Mrs.Hudson had cried and John was positive he had seen Anderson slip Lestrade some money, as if they had betted on when this was going to happen. Five years since the last run in with Moriarty. The last time he had supposedly made contact was a previous plan for if Sherlock had died, that hadn't been repealed yet. Five years. 

John woke up on a cold January Tuesday morning. It was obvious Sherlock hadn't moved at all, seeing how he was in the same position in front of his microscope had John had left him at midnight last night. Emilie was standing on her tiptoes trying to get bread into the toaster.  
"Oh my god, Sherlock!" John cried, rushing over to help her,"your child is in need of assistance with a heavy object with electricity running through it and you just sit there?!??! Here darling, let me get that." John stuck the pieces of bread into the machine and plugged in the water pot for tea.  
Sherlock looked up, "Hmmm? Oh, yes, sorry."   
John sighed, exasperated, but pored the water into two mugs and put the tea bags in, along with some milk. After setting sherlock's tea next to him, he buttered Emilie's toast and sat down for the first time that morning. Emilie tugged lightly on John's robe sleeve.

"Dad? Can't I stay and help Sherlock with he case? I don't want to go to school. It's boooooring." For some reason she called Sherlock by his first name. Nobody was sure where it had originated, considering how Sherlock had adopted her before she could talk. John guessed was one of her quirks.  
"For the sake of her own sanity John, let her stay home. I couldn't fathom being around such unbearable stupidity for as long as she is. And besides, I could teach her more useful things than whatever she is learning there," Sherlock reasoned.  
"Ooh nooo," John replied shaking his head,"Having a five year old running around a crime scene is not something I want. Emilie dear, please go get dressed."  
She hurried off to her room, and John turned to Sherlock, "Do you really think that she is bored in school? We already moved her up a year. She did test to be smart enough for third year, but I don't think we should do it. Two years would be too much of an age difference."  
"You know me John. I think that everyone is boring," Sherlock stood up and kissed John on the forehead," Except you of course, love. I'm dressed already so I'll walk Em to school. You get dressed and meet me at the yard."  
Emilie emerged from her room in her uniform and her chin length dark hair pulled back on one side with a blue clip. The hair came from Mary. John had once found a bottle of blond hair dye in the bathroom, so he figured her natural hair was darker. It was nice, though. It looked like Sherlock's.

"Have a fun time at school," John kissed her head and handed her her lunch bag.  
"I'd have more fun with with you," she mumbled,  
Sherlock tuned her toward the door," I'm sure your father doesn't want to hear that attitude. I'll see you in a few minutes, John."  
_____________________________________________________________________

The day was fairly normal and uneventful. They caught the killer pretty early on in the day, leaving John write about it for his blog. Around 3:30 in the afternoon, John left the little café where he was writing (Sherlock had went home to sleep for the first time in a few days) to go pick up Emilie from school he waited for about ten minutes, but there was no sign of her in the clusterfuck that was the elementary school pickup. Feeling a bit nervous, John made his way through the he crowd and in the door up to the front desk.   
He coughed a few times to get the attention of the woman who was sitting there, "Um, hi, I'm Emilie Watson-Holmes's father. Is she here?"  
The lady thought for a moment, then said, "I saw her go outside. You know now that I think about it, someone left a letter here for you."  
John smiled, taking the small envelope," Thank you. I guess my husband got her." He waved as a way of saying goodbye. He opened he letter but stopped dead in his tracks outside the school door when he saw what the letter said.

Hello Johnny-boy.  
Miss me?  
-M


	2. Chapter 2

"SHERLOCK!" John yelled, tearing up the stairs to 221b, "SHERLOCK"!  
Sherlock was asleep on the couch when John burst through the door, "SHERLOCK GET YOUR ARSE OFF THAT COUCH THIS IS IMPORTANT!"  
Sherlock groaned but sat up,"Where is Emilie?"  
"That's just it," John said, shoving the letter into Sherlock's hands,"She wasn't there. The lady at the front desk said she left the building and that this was left for me."  
"He can't be back, can he?" Sherlock muttered, reading he paper.  
John shrugged, "It's the only person who would have the audacity to call me 'Johnny-boy' and it's exactly like five years ago. I say we take this to the yard and-"   
"John, the yard? Really, you would trust those idiots with a case as close to home as this?" Sherlock cut him off.  
"YES! I want all the help with this as I can get! Come on, grab your coat. We are going to Lestrade right now."  
_____________________________________________________________________

"So you're saying," Lestrade said, twirling a pen as he sat at his desk," That this Moriarty bloke is back and he has your daughter?"   
"So you really didn't make this guy up, huh?" Donnovan asked  
"Of course I didn't! Do you think I want my daughter to be in the hands of a psychopath because I was bloody BORED?!?" Sherlock asked, shooting her a look that said more than words ever could. She raised her hands defensively, turning away. At that moment, Lestrade's phone rang. He looked at Sherlock questioningly.  
"Put it on speaker."

"Hello boys. Long time no see."  
"That's Emilie's voice," John whispered.  
"I know that this way of communicating is a bit old school, but I figured it would hit a few nerves. Really though, I am impressed. She is much braver than some of the people involved with the last time we played this little game."  
John grabbed the desk and demanded," Where are you keeping her you bastard?"  
"Oh Johnny. Watch your language. Remember, I may be putting the words in her mouth, but you are still speaking to your little girl. She has your eyes, by the way. Even if she is a bit normal. But aren't normal people adorable, Sherly?"  
'Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'  
"He hung up," Anderson announced from the doorway.   
"Brilliant deduction, Anderson," Sherlock shot back, but lacking the usual sharpness his words had. They all just stood there for a few minutes, staring at the phone for a few minutes, too shocked to do anything. That is until Molly burst in panting, "Sherlock, you might want to see this."


	3. Chapter 3

They all made their way to the morgue at top speed, and when they came to the room, Molly pointed to a severed arm that looked as if it had suffered third degree burns that was on the table with a big red bow on it. There was a gift tag on it that read, to Sherly.  
"Who is Sherly?" Molly asked.  
"That would be me," Sherlock replied, taking the bow off the arm and moving it around.  
Molly giggled, but stopped suddenly when she saw everyone else in the room glaring at her, "What? It's funny."  
Sally shook her head, "Not now." And proceeded to fill her in with the information she had missed.  
"Oh...oh my god I'm so sorry, Sherlock is there anything-"  
"I need a DNA test on this as soon as you can and when it was severed," Sherlock said typing furiously on his phone. Molly nodded, taking the arm into a separate room.  
"Any ideas?" John asked, leaning on the metal table where the arm had been.  
Sherlock stopped typing and slid his phone into his coat pocket,"No. Moriarty wiped that arm of anything to help me deduce who it was. I know I don't like this game, though."  
_____________________________________________________________________  
Emilie didn't know where she was. Some guy said she was her uncle Moriarty. Having heard that name in her house before and knowing Sherlock's general forgetfulness during a case, this story seemed very plausible. Having got in he car, a bag was thrown over her head. Sherlock had told her that to do if something like this happens and she began to count he turns.  
Right turn. One minute.....two minutes...left turn.....one....two....three.....four....five minutes left turn....and so on. Eventually the car headed downward and the light changed so it seemed as if they had gone underground. All the while this 'uncle Moriarty' was talking.  
"I guess that you are assuming that I'm not your uncle. And you'd be right. Well....sort of. I'm almost your uncle. You can call me Uncle Jim, though. I think we have reached that point don't you? Oh, your daddies are going to to be sooooo sad, and they are going to try soooo hard to get you back. What a shame. They love you so much. Well, we love you more. Not going to ask who we are? Stubborn like your daddies. I'm with your mummy. Yes, mummy loves you and me veeeeery much. I'm more interesting than Johnny-boy ever was. So maybe Papa Jimmy is more suitable. Here we are, lovey!"

He had a singsong-ey voice, that in all its melody still sounded dead which was very disturbing. The car door next to Emilie opened and Jim or Moriarty or whatever helped her out of the car. They were in a dark concrete room that looked somewhat like a parking garage. At the other end of the room stood a woman with the same dark hair as Emilie and a prosthetic arm. She smiled and spread her arms wide, "Come to mother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short too. But you know, important things happen! Not sure when the next chapter will be done, but I have two weeks of free time, so probably soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey would you look at that! A sort of long one! At any rate, enjoy. AND IF YOU HAVENT ALREADY, GO BACK TO THE LAST CHAPTER. THERE WAS A KIND OF IMPORTANT CHANGE MADE. YOU CAN THANK ME LATER.

Molly came back with arm and a distraught facial expression.   
"What is it?" John asked, stopping his pacing and turning to her.  
"From the looks of it this can't be more than a day old. But the DNA is nonexistent. By all accounts, whoever this is, doesn't exist."  
"Sherlock...." John held up the arm, "tell me what that says."  
On the exposed bone someone has scrape three very small letters that had apparently gone unnoticed.  
"M.E.W," Sherlock muttered," oh he's good..."  
John's fave grew red," Mary Elizabeth Watson. Of course there is not DNA. She doesn't exist. She never bloody existed. When am I going to get rid of this woman?!?!?"  
"Do you think they are working together?" Lestrade asked.  
"I wouldn't be surprised if they were sleeping together," John fumed.  
Sherlock grabbed John's shoulders," John is there anywhere you know of that Mary might be? Any places of important memories?"   
"How in the hell should I know?" John cried,"I don't even know her! I never even knew her......" John rubbed his forehead and Sherlock pulled him in for a hug, "It's okay. It's all going to be okay, love. You said yourself. She is a smart girl."  
Lestrade folded his arms and looked at the ground, saying softly, "you guys go home. Get rest. We will continue to work on this."  
"Thank you. John, let's go."

They arrived home a little while later and as Sherlock threw his coat haphazardly over the couch, John made his way to the kitchen. On the counter was another envelope.  
"Sherlock....."

My dearest enemies,  
I'm assuming that you have figured out what is going on here. If you haven't, your are more boring than I thought. I hope you liked my little present, Sherly. She was more than happy to donate to the cause. Emilie is fine, by the way. Just having some quality time with her Mummy. Let's play a little game, shall we? If you don't find your little sunshine before Friday, she becomes our little sunshine. If you do, she's all yours. That is, if she doesn't want to leave. 

-JM&MW

"I swear to god..." John buried his head in Sherlock's shoulder. And for once, Sherlock didn't know where to start.  
_____________________________________________________________________  
Emilie didn't like the look of this woman who claimed to be her mother. She was cold and seemed dead like Jim. Nothing seemed right. How could her dad have married this woman?  
"I'm going to leave you to have some mother-daughter time. I have some things to drop off to your daddies," Jim said getting back in the car.  
"Well," her mother said, smiling a false smile,"aren't you going to give mummy a hug?"  
Emilie shook her head no. And stepped back.

The woman sighed, "I doubted that this would go as planned. No bother. I'm your mother, Mary Watson. Your father and I had a falling out and he stole you from me. He took my little girl. Isn't that mean? And then he went and married that...sociopath. And I met Jim. He and I are a lot alike, it turns out. Both of us dislike Sherlock and have a strong passion for getting what is rightfully ours."  
Mary-Emilie refused to call her 'mother' or anything resembling affection-began he walk forward toward the frightened little girl, who was trying very hard to stay clam.   
"As for my arm, your father and his....whatever...needed some way to tell that I was involved. And at any rate, I had burned it very badly a while back and it was more of a hassle to have it. Papa Jimmy is on his way to deliver an envelope to your old home describing the rules to the little game he has made up for this."  
Mary looked at Emilie as if waiting for a reaction, but she just looked up blankly with those big, blue eyes.  
Mary eased her eyebrows,"Not even going to ask the rules? Alright. If your current guardians get you by Friday, you can go with them. That is if you want to. Pin the end, the choice really is up to you. If they don't show, you get to stay with your mummy and Papa Jimmy."

Just as she finished talking, Jim pulled up in his car, "Hello darlings. She not talking?"  
Mary shook her head.  
"Oh, lovey, that's no way to treat your loving mummy."  
Emilie crossed her arms and frowned,"As if you would know. Let's see, in the past twenty four hours you have abducted and five year old girl, claimed to be her rightful parents, and have turned a custody battle into a sick mind game."  
Jim smiled,"Quite a mouth on this one. Sherlock has taught you well. I'm not in the mood to deal with your attitude, so let's show our little darling to her room. Follow me lovey."   
Emilie looked toward the car, and wished with all her might that her parents would get her out of this nightmare, before she was forced to turn into a long dark hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's short, but tough. It's something. And it's important.

After being pushed into a room with blank grey walls, a small bed in one corner and a chest in another, Jim handed her a cell phone.  
"Take this and say exactly what I write here."  
Hearing her parent's voices on the other end was aggravating. So close and yet so far. But she didn't trust that she would make it out alive if she disobeyed these people.

Jim turned the phone off when the conversation was over, saying,"we will leave you here to get aquatinted with your new room, okay? The chest has some play things if you are interested. We will be back in a bit with some food."  
They shut the door, leaving Emilie to her own devices. Upon opening the chest, she was disappointed to find no chemistry sets or other scientific equipment like Sherlock let her play with. Instead there were anatomically impossible dolls and plush animals. She sit the chest, disgusted.  
_____________________________________________________________________  
After a fairly tasteless dinner of overcooked spaghetti Emilie was stuck back in her room.  
Mary smiled as watched Emilie climb onto the bed,"We want to trust you, love. This door will be unlocked. However the door out will not be and neither will my and Jim's room. Alright? The bathroom is down the hall and to the left. Goodnight."  
Emilie had been waiting for this all day. A plan had emerged into her little mind earlier and now was the time. Well, sort of. She needed to wait for a few hours at most but then. THEN she was getting out of here. 

Seven hours later, Emilie silently crept out her room and down the hall to the room where Mary and Jim were sleeping. She pulled a bobby pin out of her sock and silently began to work on he lock. After hearing Sherlock talk about some witness getting locked in a cage and getting out with a bobby pin in her afro that her captors had missed, Emilie had decided to always have a bobby pin with her for such occasions. It had finally paid off.  
After a few minutes of wiggling it around, the lock came loose and Emilie breathed a sigh of relief. No one had woken up. Tiptoeing across the room to Jim's pants which he has carelessly thrown across the floor. Emilie found what she was looking for. His phone. Bingo. She sent a quick text, deleted it from his phone and locked the door on her way back. She just hoped Sherlock would understand what she meant.  
_____________________________________________________________________  
It was 2am and John was fast asleep. But he was awoken suddenly by Sherlock slamming the door against the wall as he opened it.  
"Oh, John," he smiled,"She is genius."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The last chapter! Enjoy! If anyone has anything ideas or prompts that they would like to see, please leave them in the comments at the end.

"What does this mean?" John asked, staring at the text Sherlock had received.

Right. 2m. Left. 5m. Left. 3m. Right. 6m. Left underground.  
-E

Sherlock rolled his eyes,"John you sometimes make me think your Anderson. She is telling us where she is. Start at the school. Turn right. Drive two minutes, turn left, blah blah blah you get it."  
Sherlock grabbed his coat,"John! Get dressed quick! I'll call Lestrade!"  
_____________________________________________________________________  
"Are you sure about this?" Sherlock, John, Lestrade, Anderson and Sally all piled into Sally's car.  
"Just drive," Lestrade commanded, trying to get comfortable being the one smushed in the middle seat.sherlock was the only one talking the whole drive, and only when he needed to call out when to turn. In 16 minutes, they drove down a short ramp to a closed metal garage door. Sherlock jumped out the car and rushed over to the keypad with John quickly following.  
"Jesus Christ it could be anything!" John cried.  
"No it couldn't," Sherlock muttered, staring at the keypad from different angles," some of the numbers are more worn down than others." He punched a number into the keypad, causing the door to open.  
"I'll ask how you did that later," John said.  
Sherlock ran through the door,"Probably for the better!"  
That was when the alarm began to ring.  
_____________________________________________________________________  
She had done it. They were here. Emilie could hear Mary and Jim run out of their room and in a matter of moment Jim was at her door.  
"What the HELL did you do?!?!?" She started blankly at him, from her bed.  
"Oh whatever." And he looked the door on his way out.  
_____________________________________________________________________  
"Well I guess you win the game. Shame really. She's locked herself in her room," Moriarty shrugged.  
John turned to Lestrade,"Take Anderson and Donavan and find Emilie."  
"Are you su-"  
"Go."  
Moriarty moved towards Sherlock and John as Lestrade and the others all ran in different directions.  
"I bet you already know who I'm here with. Come out Mary darling. I'm sure that Johnny-boy won't bite."  
John squeezed his hands into fists and bit his lip as Mary stepped out of the shadows.  
"Long time no see, honey. How was the wedding?"  
"Better, seeing how you weren't in it," John replied through clenched teeth.  
"John! Sherlock!" Lestrade came back into the room holding Emilie by the hand. She let go and ran across to Sherlock, clinging tightly to his waist.  
At that moment, a voice from outside yelled, "PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"  
Moriarty smirked, raising his hands, "I suppose that you win. It's been a pleasure talking to you, Sherlock."  
_____________________________________________________________________  
"They put them in jail on account of kidnapping," John announced, putting is phone in his pocket. Emilie was sitting cross legged on the couch sipping tea.  
"That's not going to be very useful. That man is a master manipulator and psychopath with contacts who are everywhere," Sherlock said, looking up from his position next to Emilie.  
"Dad?"  
"Yes love?"  
Emilie set her tea on the table,"Do I have to go back to school? I mean,can't Sherlock teach me?"  
"Sorry darling," Sherlock stroked her hair,"I'm not home enough. Your uncle Mycroft will be monitoring your school and if there is anything that I trust him with, its security."  
"Positive?"  
Sherlock and John both hugged her,"Positive."

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry these chapters are going to be short, but oh well. If you have any comments, feel free to leave them below! 


End file.
